A Daughter's Fall
by nick2951
Summary: Via Yula Athha has always dreamed of being a Mobile Suit Pilot. After an incident, she joins the Titans and realizes her dream. However, will she lose everything her family has taught her?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, or any concepts from any other Gundam series.

Via Yula Athha woke up as the sunlight poured into her room. As she lay in bed, she turned her head and saw that was only 7 am. The girl cursed as she turned away from the clock.

Via had planned on sleeping in today. It was the only thing she had to look forward to since her suspension from school.

Realizing that trying to go back to sleep was futile, Via sat up and threw the covers off of her. Wearing a pair of green pajamas, the fifteen year old blonde stretched her body and yawned.

Swinging her legs onto the floor, Via stood up and walked into her personal bathroom. Stripping off her clothing, she stepped into the shower and turned the water on. This was her favorite part of the morning; Via felt truly at peace.

When she was done, Via walked out of the shower with a towel wrapped tightly around her body and headed towards her dresser. Opening up the drawers, she was prepared to put on her school uniform when she remembered her current status. Via then pulled out a pair of blue slacks and a gray t-shirt as well as her undergarments. Once she was clothed, Via left her room.

Passing a pair of guards, she strolled down the hallway. Via had no doubt that they were there more for making sure that she would not sneak out than her protection. It was well known that every time Via and her mother fought, the teen would sneak out of the mansion. There were secret places that were never found in which she could hide at.

Heading down stairs, she passed a few more guards and let out an irritated sigh. Via hated being the daughter of Orb's Chief Representative; it assured that her life would never be normal. Worse, she was heir to the position when her mother passed on, a thought that she hated ever more. Via's only hope to dodge taking the position was to pass in on to her younger sister.

Heading into the family dining area, Via saw that her sister Juri and her mother were already seated at the table. Her eleven year old sister was eating breakfast and her mother was reading some documents with a half-eaten bagel on a plate off to the side. Via slightly frowned at her mother; the family dining area was supposed to be the one place within the home where any official Orb business. With the frown still on her face, Via took her seat next to Juri and waited for the maid to bring her meal.

Cagalli Yula Athha sensed her eldest daughter enter the room but did not look up to greet her. She was still angry at the teen for getting suspended from school and did not want to start an argument in front of her youngest child. There was plenty of time for that for their trip.

Cagalli breathed a sigh of frustration for having to go to the Atlantic Federation's Panama base. She would much rather stay home to address the issue of her eldest daughter than go. However, the recent actions of the Titans were a problem that needed to be addressed.

"When will daddy be here?" asked Juri, wanting to break the silence and tension in the room. She knew full well that her sister and mother were still mad at each other.

"Both he and Meyrin will be here in a few days" said Cagalli, in a monotone voice and not looking up from her reading.

"Are they coming alone?" inquired Via, eating the eggs that the maid brought.

It was said that Via looked almost exactly like her mother when Cagalli was fifteen. The only difference was that Via had slightly longer hair than her mother did as well as having blue eyes instead of gold like her mother. Juri looked more like her father with long navy blue hair and green eyes.

"No, your brother and sisters will be coming as well" answered Cagalli, trying to be civil.

Via inwardly groaned at the thought of her visiting siblings. She never got along with them that well despite having the same father. Even after all this time, it still felt weird that her mother and Meyrin were both married to her father Athrun Zala. All three of the parents shared a very close bond with one another that unfortunately never was passed to their children. Via loved Meyrin like a second mother but it was not there for her other siblings except Juri.

Juri and Via were very close. Juri looked up to her elder sister and did her best to act as an intermediary between her mother and sister. Juri also got along with her other siblings as well since she was the baby and most innocent of the family.

"Will Aunty Lacus and Uncle Kira be coming too?" asked Juri, eating a sausage.

"No; Lacus is still a little weak from delivering her seventh child. They can't make it for a while" answered Cagalli in faint amusement. Cagalli concluded that both her brother and Lacus were trying to populate Mars as fast as possible.

The two had moved there feeling the need to get away from it all in order to live out a peaceful life and you could not get much farther than Mars. The Martian Confederation was the most peaceful state out of all the nations of the Earth Sphere with a population devoted to avoiding war if necessary.

The rest of the meal was in silence until it became time for Juri to head to school. Cagalli gave her daughter kisses before the maid lead her out. After Juri was gone, she turned to her elder daughter.

Via felt her mother's stare upon her as she was focused on her food in front of her. Ignoring the woman, Via continued to eat while mentally preparing herself for the on-coming argument that was about to occur.

"We still need to finish our conversation from last night" stated Cagalli in a firm tone.

"Why? I thought it was done; I got suspended, so what?" said the teen in a matter of fact tone.

"It is not done; if I had not spoken to the principle, you would have been suspended" said Via's mother in an annoyed tone.

"All I did was defended a fellow classmate" said Via, glaring at her mother.

"I am not mad about that; what I am angry is that you hit the boy while his back was turned and walking away" said the Orb leader.

"He called me a freak; the bastard had it coming" said Via angrily.

"How many times have I told you to control your temper? You cannot keep acting this way for being the future leader of Orb" said Cagalli.

Via stayed silent at that. She was tired of telling her mother that she did not want to be the next Representative of Orb; Via had other dreams and that involved being a mobile suit pilot.

Unfortunately for the teen, the Earth Sphere has been at peace for the last eighteen years. With the rebirth of the United Nations and the signing of the treaty limiting the number of mobile suits a nation can maintain, a major conflict has not been seen in a while. Even with the terrorist factions causing problems in South America, everything seemed peaceful.

"Anyways, I have to go to Panama for a meeting with some Atlantic Federation officials. You're coming with me" stated the Orb leader.

"What?! Why do I have to go" yelled the teen, standing up and knocking her chair over.

"Did you think you would be able to sit around all day and do nothing? You are coming with me so I can keep an eye on you. Now we leave in an hour so go put on some proper attire" ordered Cagalli in the firmest tone she could muster.

Via just glared at the woman and stormed off without saying another word. Cagalli just rubbed her temples and thought about what she was going to do with her daughter. Now she knew how her father felt and wondered how he could cope with her brash and wild nature when she was young.

When her children were born, Cagalli did everything she could do to spend time with her growing daughters. It was hard but Cagalli coped. As Via grew up, it became quite apparent that she had not only inherited her mother's looks but most of her personality as well. Kira had joked to Athrun that he did not have to scare any potential boyfriends of his daughter because she would do that for him with her behavior. Cagalli then hit him upside the head for the comment.

The Orb Leader knew that her daughter did not want to take over her position when she died. Even though Via did not say it out loud, Cagalli knew that her daughter wanted to enlist in the military. She blamed Athrun for that since he had taught the young girl how to pilot a mobile suit at so young of an age.

Though she was a Natural, Via had a lot of potential to be an excellent pilot. For reasons that no one knew, Via had out preformed her Coordinator brothers and sisters in mock combat. Athrun and Kira were curious to see why this was but Cagalli firmly denied having any scientist use Via as a lab rat. It took a few hits on the head with a pot to convince them of that.

Standing up, Cagalli decided to get ready herself. She had to look presentable for the meeting and to be a good example to her daughter. The last thing she wanted to be accused of is being a hypocrite.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

The transport flew through the air. Used primarily for transporting the Orb Representative, the vehicle was large and resembled an old aurora bomber. Escorting it was a group of four newly built MVF-M11E Murasames in their mobile armor mode. Though Orb still maintained a small defense force following the Copernicus Treaty, Morgenroete Inc still designed mobile suits for the Orb defense forces.

The new Murasames were not much different from its predecessors in the terms of design and mobility. However, the new units housed a compact fusion reactor which provided far more power than what the batteries provided. The fusion reactors even provided the suits with more power than the Gundams with their nuclear reactors.

It was the Atlantic Federation which had first utilized Fusion as a power source. By the time the nation had shared the technology with the rest of the nations of the Earth Sphere, it had already begun adopting it for their mobile suits and there had been protest from the PLANTs and the Prussian Hegemony. However, the Copernicus treaty forbade the use of fission reactors in mobile suits and thus had no say over the matter.

Via stared out at the units through the window as she sat in her seat across from her mother. Cagalli was reading a book and paid no attention to her daughter.

The teen was dressed in a yellow dress which her mother bought for the girl to wear for formal events. Via absolutely hated the dress and hated wearing any dress. Cagalli knew this though and considered it a part of the girl's punishment.

An Orb soldier appeared from the front of the cabin and walked up to Cagalli. Via ignored him and remained focused on the Murasames.

"My Lady, we are approaching Panama and they are sending some mobile suits to escort us in. We should be landing in about ten minutes" said the soldier. Cagalli thanked him and he headed back to the cockpit.

Suddenly Via spotted a pair of mobile suits taking up positions along the transport and Murasames. Via recognized them as GAT-05 Windam Quels. Thanks to their fusion reactors, the suits did not need a striker pack to fly over long distances and instead housed a sort of jet pack on their backs.

The colors were different than the standard ones used by the regular Atlantic federation forces and Via recognized them as the colors used by the Titans. The suits were painted in a dark blue and grey. Via secretly became excited by this revelation. She had watched the news coverage on the Titan's exploits on television as well as tried to dig up every bit of info on the internet. She would do anything to join their ranks and become part of the elite.

As Panama came into view, the transport began to slow down in preparation of its landing. The runways were clear for the military part of Panama base though the civilian part looked as busy as ever. After the second war was concluded, most of Panama base was converted into civilian use for trade and flights to the PLANTs and Mars. A third of the spaceport was still used for military purposes.

The transport landed on the third tarmac where a small reception stood waiting. Cagalli and her daughter exited the aircraft to find a group of four men waiting for them on the bottom of the steps.

"Representative Athha, welcome to Panama Base" greeted Admiral Paptimus Scirocco, head of the Titans. His youthful appearance made Cagalli feel old. Via though thought the man was handsome.

"Thank you Admiral Scirocco" said Cagalli formally. She had met the man on a few other occasions at state dinners and UN summits. Cagalli always was creped out by the man and did not know why. He was always polite but there was something about him that Cagalli did not like.

"This is my subordinate Vice Admiral Glemy Toto" said Scirocco, motioning to his colleague. The man looked to be in his early twenties and both men were dressed in a black military uniform in which all Titans wore.

"Lady Athha" greeted the man in a monotone voice. He was smiling and polite, but Cagalli suspected it was just a formality.

"I am happy that you agreed to meet me" said Cagalli as the group began to walk towards the base. Via kept her distance and waited for her chance to sneak away.

"It is no problem at all; If you come with me, we can talk in a more comfortable setting" said Scirocco as the group made their way. Cagalli was so focused that she never noticed that Via was missing.

Scirocco noticed though and smiled.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Damn It!" screamed Cadet Alex Malson, throwing the rag down in anger. The small stain on the Windam Quel's leg still would not come off despite his scrubbing. At this rate, the mobile suit would not be clean by the time Colonel Whethers returned.

Taking a seat on the foot of the Windam, Alex wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed. He could almost imagine what the Colonel was going to say and do to him. There were times that he wondered why he even joined the Titans.

He leaned back and stared at the ceiling, contemplating where he could get a blow torch. If the stain could not be wiped off, then maybe it could be burned off. After all, Colonel Whethers did say that anything could be used as long as the stain was removed.

Alex longed to out with the others in mock combat. He was just three weeks until graduation and he still sucked at landing his Windam Quel. Yesterday, he had crashed on the tarmac, nearly crushing his commanding officer. The Colonel had been so angry that Alex thought he would shoot him right then and there. However, the Colonel had other plans.

Alex was to scrub and clean every portion of his mobile suit until it was shining. He was also to do it within the time it took the mock battle to conclude with the other cadets. Alex did not want to think about the consequences if he failed.

As he looked around the hanger for a blow torch, Alex spotted a girl just inside the hanger. She appeared to be about his age and had blond hair. Believing the girl to be a lost civilian, Alex started to make his way towards her in the hopes of getting to talk with her. She was kind of cute and it had been a while since the teen had the chance to talk to a real girl. All the other girls at the academy were military to the bone with hardly any personality.

If he played his cards right, Alex's vast knowledge of military material might impress the girl into getting a date with her. His father always said that a uniform always impressed the girls.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

As soon as Via ditched her mother and the other officials, she made her way to the hanger area to check out the mobile suits. There were hardly any soldiers about and Via took it as a sign of luck.

As she walked into the hanger closest to her, Via saw a pair of Windam Quels standing inside. Getting excited, she walked slowly towards them, not taking her eyes off the mobile suits.

Via had read about the suits on the internet. The Windam Quel was the latest of the Atlantic Federation's mass produced mobile suits. Though similar in design and appearance to its predecessors, the Quel housed a compact fusion reactor which provided it with far more power than a battery. It also had an extra beam saber and could be equipped with a rocket pack on its shoulders. It was said that the Windam Quel could out maneuver the Zaku III, but that was only speculation since the two suits had yet to engage in combat.

What really got Via excited though was the fact that the pair of Windams wore similar colors to the suits that escorted her in.

"Can I help you?" asked a voice, catching Via off guard. Turning her head, she saw a boy about her age walking towards her. He was slightly taller than her and had dark blue hair. His eyes were hazel and he was wearing the uniform of the black Titans.

"No; just admiring the Mobile Suits. Are you a pilot?" asked Via, making herself out to be a simple civilian. The girl noticed that men tended to fall for that sort of thing.

"As a matter of fact, I am" answered Alex with pride.

"Have you fought any battles?" asked the blond, knowing full well that the question was stupid. Via had noticed the boy's insignia indicating him a junior officer. From the research she was able to gather, Titan junior officers almost never entered battle.

"Of course; I have been in dozens of battles" lied the Titans Officer. Seeing how the girl was just a dumb blond, she would believe anything he'd tell her.

Via just smiled, knowing full well the lad was lying through his teeth. It annoyed her a little but would benefit the girl down the line.

"Do you want to hear about them?" asked Alex, thinking that he had the young woman.

Via nodded and the boy motioned for her to take a seat on the Windam's foot. She sat there as the Titan talked. It was boring, but it would benefit her since she could get more information on the Titans this way. If Via played her cards right. Maybe she could pick up a way to join the group.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Just outside the base, a group of five mobile suits lay hidden in the jungle. They were camouflaged with jungle colors and were ready to strike the base. The suits were older models with two being Zakus, a Gouf, and two old Murasames.

Carlos Diaz of the South American Liberation Group leaned back in the cockpit of his Gouf. He was grumpy and irritated at having to wait for the signal to attack. He was also upset of having to work with the pilots of the two Murasames. They were not even a part of his organization and had their own agenda for carrying out the attack.

"When are we going to attack?" asked Hector Ramon in a whiny voice as his Zaku moved its arm.

"When the signal is given" answered Lisa Collins in her Murasame. She brushed her black hair from the front of her face. She hated having work with SALG soldiers, but it was the only way to accomplish her objectives.

As part of the radical wing of Orb's Pure Democracy Movement, she was tasked by her superiors to eliminate Representative Athha. Only by her death could Orb be truly free to govern itself. Lisa truly believed that the citizens of Orb would see this once Cagalli was out of the way.

There was a sudden flash of light as a flare went off in the sky. Carlos smiled as he gripped his controls. Now he would make the Atlantic Federation pay for meddling in his homeland's affairs.

"Alright, everyone listen up. Ramon and Chavez, you guys take care of the hangers. Me, Collins, and Samson will go after the targets. Leave nothing intact, let make these Federation bastards pay" said Diaz.

The suits rose into the air and towards the base.

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"I can assure you Representative Athha that the Titans have no ambitions to violate a nation's sovereignty. Our current operations in South America and the Middle East Republic are at the request of their Governments. Our only goal is too remove the terrorist threats in those countries" said Admiral Scirocco as the small group walked down the corridors of the base.

"I understand that; however there have been some concerns from the Mediterranean Union and the Prussian Hegemony that the Titans are only making things worse for the regions" said Cagalli in a diplomatic tone of voice.

"I would like to point out that the two nations in question have a deep grudge against the Atlantic Federation for some time now. There concerns could be very well be just bias against our nation" said Paptimus in a neutral tone.

"You have a point" said Cagalli in a neutral tone of her own. Her advisors as well as members from Orb's Parliament had raised the very same point. It was no secret that many across the world still held a feeling of resentment towards the Federation for its actions during the two wars against the PLANTs.

"If Orb wishes to view the records on our past battles with the terrorists, it will not be a problem" said the Titans leader with a smile.

"I would appreciate that" said the Orb leader with a smile as well.

Scirocco was about to say something when he suddenly frowned and lunged at Cagalli, knocking her down and shielding her body with his own. Toto made a similar move with a female base personnel. There was then a sudden shaking, causing a chunk of the ceiling to collapse where they were previously standing.

"What is going on" asked Cagalli alarmingly. More shaking ensued and explosions could be heard.

"We are under attack" answered Admiral Toto with a frown.

"How do you know?" asked the blond, confused. Toto was about to answer her when Scirocco interrupted.

"I believe that we should head for the emergency command center since the main one has been destroyed. If you follow me Lady Cagalli" said Paptimus as he grabbed her arm and started to hurry down the hall. The Orb leader nodded and the group made their way.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Both the teens jumped up as the sounds of explosions could be heard. Via had nearly fallen asleep as Alex's boasts were getting too much to handle.

The Titan cadet ran to the exit of the hanger to see what was going on. Peering from behind the door, he watched in horror as a pair of Zakus fired on a hanger, causing it to explode. There were various technicians and mechanics running about, trying to avoid getting stomped on by the two enemy mobile suits.

"We are under attack!" yelled Alex as he watched the carnage.

"By who!?" asked Via, looking around for a ladder.

"I don't know! If it's ZAFT, then there suits must be really lagging" answered the Titan, not looking at her.

Deciding that he had to something, he turned to head back to his mobile suit only to see Via climbing up the ladder which lead to the cockpit of the other Windam Quel. Normally, he would be pleased to see up the skirt of a female but he was more alarmed about her intentions.

"What the hell are you doing?" screamed the soldier as he watched her run along the catwalk after climbing the ladder.

"Doing something; we are under attack remember?" yelled the blond as she prepared to climb into cockpit of the MS.

"But you are just a civilian!" exclaimed the teen, shocked by her answer.

"Your point?!" asked Via as she jumped into the seat of the Windam. Gripping the controls, she pressed a button which closed the cockpit and activated the suit.

As the OS booted up, Via closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had secretly piloted a mobile suit before with her father and Uncle Kira, but they had always been inside the suit with her. Though both Kira and Athrun said she was a natural pilot, this would be her first time alone piloting and she was a little nervous; especially given the situation.

When everything was online, the blond gripped the handles and concentrated on walking just to get a feel for the suit. The Windam moved forward at a slow pace. After a few more steps, she was almost out of the hanger and Via decided to move a little faster.

Exiting the hanger, Via maneuvered her camera to scale the battlefield. There was wreckage everywhere and most of the hangers were on fire. She also saw bodies lying about which angered the teen greatly. Grinding her teeth, Via moved the suit forward again.

Catching the sight of the two enemies, Via sized up her opponents. They were Zakus but Via doubted that they were from ZAFT. The models were too old to be in active service and the way they were fighting did not match the standard ZAFT engagement doctrine.

Suddenly, one of the enemy Zakus caught sight of her and turned to engage her. As Via prepared to meet the enemy suit in battle, she realized that she had left the hanger without grabbing a rifle.

Grabbing her beam saber, she activated it as she dodged a shot from the Zaku. Activating her thrusters, Via flew forward and slashed at the Zaku. The Zaku evaded and attempted to fire its rifle in close range but it failed when the Windam used its left arm to knock the rifle away, causing it to miss.

Taking the initiative, Via used her left arm and punched the Zaku in the chest. Though it did no damage, the Zaku was knocked off guard and the Windam slashed again. This time it made contact and managed to slice off the Zaku's right arm.

The enemy suit fired at her again and Via dodged the blast with ease. Whoever she was fighting, he was clearly an armature though he did possess a little bit of skill.

As the Zaku fire again, Via activated the Windam's thrusters and jumped over the Zaku and landed behind it. Before the enemy could react, Via slashed sideways and sliced the suit in half. Jumping back as the Zaku exploded, the blond realized that she just killed someone.

As the burning wreckage lay around her, Via just stood there and was breathing hard. Both her father and uncle said that their first kills were upsetting but for some reason, Via did not feel that way. Though she did feel a little sad that she had taken a life, Via felt that it was necessary for the greater good.

Via suddenly sensed something and activated her thrusters which caused her to dodge an incoming attack. The Windam turned to see the other Zaku firing at her and dodged each attack. Though Via could easily outmaneuver the enemy barrage, it left her little time to launch counterattack. All she could to was keep dodging the enemy fire.

As the Zaku prepared to launch another round at the Windam, it was suddenly struck in the side by a beam shot. The beam tore through the enemy suit's torso which caused it to fall to the ground. As the Zaku struggled to get up, a second shot was fired into the chest area which killed the pilot.

"Are you okay?" asked Alex as he lowered the rifle of his Windam. He maneuvered his suit to where Via was standing and handed her a spare beam rifle.

"Yeah; just a little winded" answered the blond, grabbing the gun. She actually felt a little exhilarated by the encounter.

"I'll say; where did you learn to pilot like that" asked the teen, still astonished by what he just watched. This was no ordinary civilian.

"My father and uncle are veterans of the First and Second Bloody Valentine Wars; they taught me a few things" answered Via, trying not to smirk at him.

"Really? So back there……" said Alex, not finishing what he was going to say.

"You really should work on your stories; I was practically falling asleep in there" said the girl with a smile.

"I'll make a note of that" said Alex with a frown.

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As they entered the backup Command Center, Cagalli noted how sparse it was. There were only a handful of base personnel inside and the highest ranking officer seemed to be a Commander.

"What's the situation?" asked Scirocco in an authoritative tone. The Commander turned and saluted the man.

"We are under attack by an unknown enemy; a total of five suits in all. The internal defenses are offline and the Main Command Center has been destroyed" informed the Commander.

"What about our suits?" asked Toto.

"Most are out on the exercise from this morning; we have informed them of the situation and they are on their way back. The suits that remained are being targeted by the enemy while they are still in their hangers or guarding the civilian centers" answered the man as a sudden shaking shook the room.

"Sir! The enemy seems to be trying to get to us by firing into the ground above us" yelled a female ensign.

"How long until the relief arrives?" asked Cagalli, alarmed. She had no idea where Via was and she was worried for her daughter's safety. She had noticed the girl wandering off but gave no thought to it since they were supposedly in a secure area.

"Ten minutes" answered the woman. As Cagalli looked up at the central monitor, Glemy Toto moved to Scirocco's side.

"Did you feel that?" asked Toto quietly so that the Orb leader could not hear him.

"Yes I did; it seems that what I felt from Representative Athha's daughter was correct" said Paptimus Scirocco with a smile.

"This will be an interesting battle to watch" said Glemy with a smirk.

"Indeed"

……………………………………………………………………………………….

As Diaz watched the two Murasames hover in the air while firing into the ground, he had to admire the tenacity of his partners. They had been at it for almost five minutes now and showed no signs of relenting.

Diaz knew it was only a matter of time before Federation reinforcements arrived. He would not be surprised if there were Titans in the mix. Hopefully his partners would provide enough distraction for him to get away.

Via and Alex made their way slowly towards the enemy suits. So far they had yet to be detected.

"What are they doing?" asked Via, confused by the enemies actions. She was also surprised to see the Murasames as well. They were old models but to Via's knowledge, Orb never exported any suits and scraped them instead when the models became outdated.

"I think they are trying to get to the backup command center" said Alex, guessing.

"Why?" asked Via.

"It is where the VIPs would probably be" answered Alex. It then clicked that he needed to do something.

Fearing for her mother's safety, Via raised the rifle and aimed it at one of the Murasames. The Windams were still a good distance away and the shot would be impossible for a Natural. However, the blond did not care.

Concentrating with all her might, Via lined up the shot and fired. The beam soared through the air and much to her and Alex's surprise, it hit its mark. The beam tore through one of the Murasame's legs which caused it to explode and fall to the ground.

"Wow" was all that Alex could say. His admiration ended when he watched the Gouf and the other Murasame move towards them.

Carlos was surprised to see the two Windams. It was too soon for the Federation forces to arrive and Ramon and Chavez were supposed to have dealt with any immobile suits left on the base. He was also surprised that anyone could make that shot. The Murasame that had been hit was too damaged to offer any help and that now made it two on two if Chavez and Ramon don't show up.

He was about to confer with Lisa when he watched her suddenly dashed forward, firing on the Windam who shot down her companion. The way Lisa moved was amateurish with the woman just firing blindly at the enemy. It confirmed what he had suspected earlier; that the OPDM member did not know what she was doing.

Deciding that leaving her to the two Windams would be a bad move, Diaz charged forward to face off against the other Windam. Firing his arm mounted beam spray blaster, he watched as the enemy suit dodge the shots and bring his rifle to bare. However, the Windam was a poor shot and missed the Gouf completely.

Via dodged another blast as the Murasame moved around her. Deciding that fighting on the ground was pointless, she took to the air and fired her rifle as the enemy suit moved about. As expected, she missed and knew that this fight would be a little tough. Though it was an older model, the Murasame was still far more maneuverable than the Windam. Orb made their MS to last.

Lisa fired again at the suit yelled in rage as she watched the shot miss. She had been so close in accomplishing her goals and now the entire operation was in danger. Lisa knew that she had to take out the Windam quick if she was to resume her attack.

After another long three minutes of fighting, Via now knew what she was facing. Whoever was piloting the Murasame seemed to be relying more on the suit's capabilities than his or her own. Taking this into account, the blond began to plan her next move to take her enemy down.

"Hey Alex, you still there?" asked Via as she prepared to move into position. Her plan required quick timing and she did not want to get shot in the back by the Gouf when it was over.

"Yeah, just playing with the guy" lied Alex as he dodged the Gouf's whip. In truth, this was a far more intense battle than he had with his peers.

"Like I said, you really need to work on your boasts" said the blond with a smirk.

Concentrating again, Via aimed her rifle but did not fire. Instead of aiming for the Murasame itself, she aimed the rifle ahead of the suit's course. Feeling the timing was right, the blond opened fire and the beam shot forward.

The Murasame flew forward into the path of the beam's blast. The shot tore through the suit's abdomen, hitting the battery. Lisa screamed in rage as she lost control of her suit as it fell from the sky.

As Via watched the suit fall, she became angry at its pilot. The person had tried to harm her mother and she could not forgive that. As Via aimed her rifle again, she knew what she was about to do was wrong. Her father and uncle had taught her the importance of not firing on a disabled enemy. The enemy was no longer a threat.

Via fired anyway. She did not know why she did, but she did not care. The beam tore into the Murasame's chest and caused it to explode. The wreckage then rained down all over the ground.

As Alex avoided another attack by the Gouf, he knew that he was in trouble. Whoever he was facing knew his stuff and the boy knew that his training was not going to get him out of this situation. Deciding on a risky move, he prepared to pull off the same move he watched Via do.

As the Gouf moved forward, Alex activated his Windam's thrusters and suddenly flew over the enemy suit. Unfortunately his landing was off and Alex fell onto his back. The Gouf then turned and hovered over the fallen Windam.

"Tough luck pal" said Diaz as he raised his sword.

Alex's eyes widened and his mind quickly pondered what to do. He then got an idea and fire his head Vulcan guns which fired into the enemy suit. Though the shots did very little damage to the Gouf's armor, one of the shots hit the main camera which blinded it.

As Diaz struggled with his blindness, Alex took the advantage and grabbed his beam saber. While still on the ground, he slashed sideways and sliced off the Gouf's legs. He then slashed off the enemy's arms which permanently disabled the enemy. Headquarters would probably need at least one survivor for interrogation.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

"That's the last of them" said the female ensign as she watched the Gouf laid disabled on the ground.

The group watched the entire battle on the monitor ever since it first began. When they heard the brief exchange between the two Windam pilots, Cagalli's eyes widened when she recognized the voice of her daughter.

The Orb leader was both angry and scared at the moment; angry that her daughter had participated in the battle and scared that she almost lost her as well. There was also a hint of pride at her daughter's performance in battle but it was too buried at the moment.

"Very impressive" said Toto quietly to Scirocco. The purple haired nodded and smiled at the screen.

"I agree; we must take steps to recruit her. She would make a fine addition to the Titans. Her Newtype powers, if developed right, would be a welcomed addition to our goals" said Scirocco.

"How do we get to her without her mother finding out?" asked the subordinate motioning at the irate blond.

"An offer will present itself; this attack was actually convenient. Though we really must find out who was responsible and make them pay" said the Titans leader with a small frown.

"I'll make the arrangements; another good thing is that this incident may get Orb off our backs" stated Toto.

"Yes, that may be true" admitted Scirocco.

The duo watched as the suits from the exercise fly into view. They took positions all around the base and ambulances moved into the scene to tend to the injured. Cagalli then stormed off out of the Command Center in anger.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Via climbed out of the Windam and took a deep breath. She found it hard to believe that only twenty five minutes took place between the time she first entered the mobile suit to the conclusion of the battle.

As she watched the Windam Quels land all around her, Via marveled at the sight. She felt so exhilarated.

Watching Alex climb out of his suit, the blond was about to call out to him to give a thumbs up when she sensed danger approaching. Looking all around for another possible attack, Via prepared to jump back inside the cockpit.

What she then saw coming was worse.

As Via watched her mother approach, she could see the fury in her eyes. Closing her eyes, the blond took a deep breath and prepared herself for the worse.

It was going to be a long day.

Please R&R and a big thanks to Noshmono for the pre-read


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, nor Zeta Gundam

Via fought the urge to glare back at her mother as she left.

After Cagalli had embarrassed the girl in front of everyone on the tarmac with her verbal barrage, the two immediately boarded their shuttle which took off for Orb. It was now under heavy escort from both Orb's Murasames and the Titan's Windams.

During the screaming, Via could not get one word out in order to defend herself.

After Cagalli had finished, she left her daughter in the main cabin in order to get something to drink. All the yelling had left her throat parched.

Truthfully, Via did not seem to give a damn how mad her mother was at her. She still felt exhilarated from the battle. Not only did she pilot a mobile suit for the first time by herself, she actually fought in a battle and won.

If there were any feelings of guilt and sadness for the lives that she had taken, they had long since vanished or been buried.

As she stared out the window, the blonde watched as their escort grew as a group of six more Murasames arrived. They replaced the positions of the Windams which left back to Panama once they had entered Orb territorial waters.

During her mother's tirade, Via had tuned out the woman and thought about the enemy that had attacked the base. The appearance of the two antique Murasames still disturbed the girl. She knew that Orb did not distribute military surplus at all and the only conclusion Via could come up with is that someone in Orb had helped in the attack.

Via also concluded that it was too coincidental that the attack just happened to occur during her mother's visit. Only a handful of people knew her mother's schedule and Via suspected that there was a traitor at the top.

As the shuttle began to approach Onogoro Island, Cagalli made an appearance. Not looking at her daughter, she took her seat opposite from the younger blond and stared off to the side in deep thought. Via decided that it was wise not to say anything.

The Shuttle landed on the main tarmac without any complications. As the duo left the transport, there was an armed escort waiting for them. Via was slightly surprised on how heavily armed the Orb royal guard was as well as the number of military vehicles stationed throughout the airstrip. Via noted a pair of Rick Doms which were a few meters away and was taken aback since they were rarely seen.

As Cagalli and Via headed towards the armored limo, Kisaka stood beside it. He looked grim and the daughter could swear that his grey hair seemed even greyer. Opening the rear side door, Via and her mother climbed inside and Kisaka entered last. Once the group was strapped in, the car took off with its escort.

"I am guessing there was more to the attack if all this is warranted" said Cagalli dryly. Kisaka nodded at the blond.

"From what we have been able to gather, they were definitely after you as well. The Murasames were stolen from a depot a few days ago and from what we have been able ascertain the theft was carried out by the OPDM" informed the man.

"That doesn't make sense. From what I understand, the organization is non-violent" said a confused Orb Leader.

"It appears that the group has sprouted a radical element. They have evaded capture thus far. Word of the attempted assassination has reached the people and we have had riots break out against the OPDM. We have placed most of the organization into protective custody" stated Kisaka.

"That is good; I am happy that the people still support me but I will not let the group be retaliated against" said the blond.

"Why not?" asked Via suddenly. She personally saw nothing wrong with what the people were doing.

"Because its wrong. People have the right to think what they want without being persecuted for it" answered Cagalli with a frown.

"Not if they're terrorists; we should lock them all up" argued the daughter.

"The entire OPDM are not terrorists. What happened at Panama was the work of a few radicals in the movement. We cannot blame the entire organization for the actions of a few" argued the mother back.

"Those radicals just tried to kill you. If the ODPM is as non-violent as they claim they are, why did they not report what was going to happen? How do we even know that they are completely blameless? For all we know, they could have known all along on what these "radical" were going to do and they sat back to see what was going to happen" said Via in a loud angry tone.

"So we just lock them up? What kind of image is that to display to the people? That if they think differently than the Government, we will throw them in jail? I am their Leader and Representative; they place their trust in me and I will not break it under any circumstances" stated Cagalli firmly. Via just glared at her mother and turned to stare out the window.

'_They are definitely Mother and Daughter; both so stubborn'_ thought Kisaka as he stayed silent.

He had watched the arguments between the two for years now and it almost reminded him of the exchanges between Lord Uzumi and a younger Cagalli. However, the fights between Cagalli and Via were far more intense and brutal. Kisaka hoped that some day the two could become closer.

Kisaka had heard about the battle that Via had participated in. He always suspected that Via had the potential to become an excellent pilot and was not surprised that the girl participated in the battle. He could also understand Cagalli's anger as a parent and knew what she wanted for her daughter. He knew that he would have to remind her about some of the things she did when she was young.

Some of them were far more serious than what Via just did.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Admiral Paptimus Scirocco walked down the long hall towards the meeting room. Dressed in a white military uniform, he was flanked by two soldiers that belonged to the Titans. They were lightly armed but were still more than a match for any regular soldiers of the Atlantic Federation military.

The flight to Washington D.C. was uneventful. He had sent Toto back to the Titans main headquarters to oversee the continuation of several sensitive operations. The Pentagon was bustling with activity and Scirocco knew that it was probably because of the incident at Panama.

The two guards at the entrance to the meeting room saluted and opened the door for him. Paptimus nodded and left his escort behind as he entered.

The room was quite large with a large rectangular oak table in the center. The walls were painted brown and it had grey carpet on the floor. On one of the walls was a large monitor which took up a good chunk of the wall.

Seated at the table were a group of Federation Admirals and Generals; twelve in all. There was also a civilian seated as well and Scirocco recognized him as Senator Bruce Deacon, representing the Federation Assembly. Nodding the gathered officers, the Titans leader took his seat.

"With the recent attack at Panama and the sudden rise of insurrections in South America, the President and the Assembly have decided that military force must be used. However, with our forces being stretched due to the growing tensions with the Neo Soviet Union, we must consider how much of our military strength must be used" stated General Jason Doyle. A man in his sixties and the highest ranking officer in the Atlantic Federation, his grey hair still covered much of his head.

"I want to know is how the attack happened in the first place?" asked Admiral Fernando Tamio darkly, head of the Federation Pacific Fleet. He had a deep Hispanic accent which added to his displeasing tone.

"Due to some local festival, most of base personnel were off base. So security was light" said General Alex Bauer, commander of all Federation forces in the British Isles, his Scottish heritage evident in his voice.

"What idiot let that happen?" demanded General Anthony Soprano, head of the North American East Coast Defense Forces.

"General Stuam" answered General Bauer.

"He should be court-marshaled for incompetence" stated Admiral William Frost.

"He was killed in the attack" said Scirocco in an amusing tone. This seemed to bring smiles to most present since it meant that the trouble of arranging a court marshal was spared.

"What about sending the Titans?" asked Admiral Davis, head of the 4th Fleet which patrolled the waters between North and South America.

"Admiral Scirocco?" asked General Doyle.

"With the sudden increase in Titan recruitment, it would not be an issue. I will need the control of our Caribbean bases as well as support from the South American Government" said Paptimus.

"Both should not be a problem; the South American Government would gladly accept our help. My only concern would be the Assembly" said the Federation Senator in a grim tone.

"Oh?" asked one of the other Generals.

"There are many in the Assembly who are fanatically supportive of Lacus Clyne's peace initiatives. It takes a lot of effort just to get them off our backs with the Titans" explained the Senator.

"Even after all these years, that woman still causes problems for us" grumbled Admiral Tamio. There were nods in agreement from a few around the table.

Scirocco disagreed. He actually had deep admiration for the pink princess as well as her husband. It was a shame though that the two were Coordinators. Though his hatred of them was not genocidal, Scirocco still felt that they were a threat to the natural evolution of humanity into Newtypes.

The meeting went on for over an hour. The only other things that were discussed were troop deployments and mobile suit production. The Atlantic Federation still lead the Earth Sphere in industrial might and its production of military hardware still outdid any other industrial nation. When everything was concluded, Scirocco made his exit while most of the other officers stayed behind to talk amongst themselves.

Though some of the upper echelon of the Atlantic Federation military disliked the Titans, they at least had their respect. Scirocco had long since known that alienating the main branches of the military would cause setbacks; thus he knew how to approach people and manipulate them.

Making his way out of the main part of the Pentagon; Scirocco and his escort made their way to the hangers beneath the Federation Military Headquarters. Very few knew the hangers existed as part of the defense of Washington. They had been built during the Second War with the PLANTs and were still maintained to this day.

The O was waiting for him as he entered the last hanger; already prepped for launch. The bulky mobile suit was the only one of its type since it was custom built by Scirocco himself. He had brought the mobile suit with him from the Atlantic Federation colony in Jupiter's orbit.

Entering the cockpit and activating the controls, Scirocco settled in as the suit launched down the runway and out of the hidden opening some distance away from the Pentagon. His escort followed after him which was composed of Windam Quels with their striker packs attached.

Their destination was the Titans Headquarters at Heavens Base. The base had been turned over to the Titans after the Atlantic Federation retook the base in the confusion of the Battle of Messiah. With the dissolving of the Earth Alliance, there was no need for a Supreme Headquarters since the Atlantic Federation Military Command now reoccupied the Pentagon.

The Base had changed over the years since it was rebuilt. The perimeter had expanded to house a training facility for new members and the underground mobile suit factories now shared space with a shipyard. The base also housed the Federation's second mass driver making Heavens Base a vital spaceport.

While he sat back and relaxed for the long trip to Heavens Base, Scirocco activated the communication's hub and contacted Toto. The young man's face soon appeared on screen.

"Did the meeting go well?" asked Toto.

"Yes it did; the Federation has decided to put us in charge of getting rid of the rebels in South America," informed the Leader of the Titans.

"I see; I am glad that we decided not to intercept that rebel squad and let them attack Panama after all," said Glemy with a smirk.

"Yes, it seems that once again things are played in our favor. Not only has the Federation bended to our will, but the attack showed Orb how much we are needed. Lady Athha will be less critical of us from now on which will allow us more room to operate in South America," said Scirocco with a grin.

"There is also our recent discovery as well" said the Vice Admiral. Scirocco nodded at that.

"I agree; it seems that Lady Athha's daughter is indeed a Newtype and a powerful one at that. Have our agents gotten a hold of her medical files?" asked the Admiral.

"Yes; no genetic modifications what so ever so her abilities are natural," answered Glemy.

"Excellent; now we have to try and recruit her," said Scirocco thoughtfully.

"That might be difficult; her mother would not only object but make sure her daughter never leaves the house again," argued Glemy.

"Yes, but I have the impression that our teenage girl is quite stubborn and would jump at the chance to join us. If we were to make our offer to her secretly, then I expect that she will come to us on her own," stated the leader of the Titans with a smirk.

"Shall make the offer through our agents within Orb?" asked the Vice Admiral.

"No; I will make the offer myself. Have our technicians secure a hidden link to the Athha Mansion," ordered the man.

"Understood; I will await your arrival," Glemy said before signing off.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Via sat at her desk in her room, still angry at her mother.

There were days that Via hated being the first born; she was tired of being told what was expected of her. She wanted to join the military and be a mobile suit pilot but that dream was shot down by her mother. Cagalli wanted her daughters to have nothing to do with the military and to live peaceful lives.

Via considered her mother a hypocrite.

As the sun set over the horizon, the young woman considered sneaking out of the house to get away for a while. However, two things prevented that; her mother's increased security and the fact that her father was downstairs.

Via loved her father dearly and also enjoyed the company of her step mother as well. Though retired, Athrun Zala worked as a military consultant for ZAFT and the Equatorial Union. He also secretly made sure that the two militaries were abiding by the treaties.

The two were closer that Via was to her mother; which was funny to some seeing how Via and Cagalli were so much alike. Athrun had done his best to bridge the peace between Mother and Daughter, but the task was a difficult one.

Stubbornness was a family trait.

"Are you sure there is nothing I can do?" asked Athrun as he sat on the couch in Cagalli's private study. Meyrin sat next to him, reading a magazine.

"No; the ODPM is Orb's problem and I don't want to burden any other nations with it. I am just afraid that this will give the Titans more free rein in their activities since this incident benefited them," stated Cagalli as she sat at her desk with her head resting on her clasped hands.

"Think it was too coincidental?" asked Meyrin. Her appearance hadn't changed much over the years except for the fact that she left her hair down all the time instead of pigtails.

"Had to be, but there is no evidence to prove it. As far as anyone else is concerned, the attack is further proof of the need for the Titans," said the Orb leader bitterly.

"At least Via did well in her first combat experience," commented Athrun; who then held up his hands defensively in response to the glare emanating from Cagalli.

"She could have been killed; she should have headed to a shelter instead of running off in a mobile suit," Cagalli said angrily.

"Via wouldn't be our daughter if she had; you would have done the exact same thing at her age; in fact, you did," countered Athrun boldly.

"She does not live in the same world as we did; Via should not have to fight," argued the Orb leader.

"The world is not any less dangerous now than it was back then; we just have a different kind of danger now. Via is growing up and you need to let her take her own path," the raven-haired man said, pressing the point.

"Maybe some time apart is the best idea right now for Cagalli and Via; a week or two should work," Meyrin suggested.

"That is a good idea; maybe a week or two with Kira and Lacus," Cagalli said, thoughtful of the idea.

Both Athrun and Meyrin looked at one another and sighed. It seemed to them that Cagalli was taking the idea to an extreme. Not only would it take a week for Via to get to Mars, but add two weeks there and another week to get back to Earth; Via would be gone for a month.

Via hated the idea.

As she stood outside her mother's study, the young girl could only clench her hands in anger. _'How dare they send me away'_ was all the girl could think. Via felt that she was being punished for trying to do the right thing, something she could not believe her parents were doing.

Walking quickly but quietly away, Via started to consider her options. Though she loved her Uncle Kira and Aunt Lacus, staying with them was appalling to the young girl. Mars was not only extremely boring, but there was not a single mobile suit on the planet.

Reentering her room, Via closed the door and locked it before plopping on her bed. As she lay there, Vie contemplated her next move. Refusing wouldn't work, especially with her mother and her father seemed to support the idea so going to him was not an option.

The only thing Via could think of was running away for a while. Problem was that she wouldn't make it off of Orb before discovered and dragged back home. After that, Cagalli would make sure Via didn't go anywhere without a team of armed guards going with her.

There was a sudden flashing as her room computer lit up, indicating that she had a message. Curious to seeing what it could be, the young woman walked over to her desk and sat down. Bringing up the message, Via's eyes widened at its contents.

"Greetings Ms. Athha, I hope you forgive me for contacting you this way but I hope you will listen to my proposal," said Admiral Paptimus Scirocco; the message was a recording but Via's eyes were glued to the screen all the same.

"I was very impressed with your recent battle at Panama and you did the Federation a great service as well as Orb. I have been informed that you desire to be a mobile suit pilot and the Titans would love to have your skills as a part of their organization. Therefore, I hereby invite you to join us and be a part of the force that will guarantee peace in this world.

I know that your mother would never approve of you joining us but if you do desire to join anyways, we can get you out secretly. No one will be harmed because of this and we'll even let you send word back to your mother that you are safe.

If your answer is no then you can ignore this message, the result which will be that this communication will immediately delete itself. If you are interested, please reply immediately and we will send you instructions." Via pressed pause and thought about the offer.

It was a dream come true to the young woman. Not only would she be a mobile suit pilot, but would fight in the Titans against terrorists; even the ones who threatened her mother. Via would finally be able to fight for her own ideals instead of her mothers.

Via knew what she was going to do.

Replying to the e-mail, Via typed in her response and sent the message back to the originator. After a few minutes, there was another e-mail and the instructions came and Via scanned the message. She then turned to go pack.

Her time had come.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

"Well that went better then expected; she wasted no time in even considering our offer," remarked Scirocco.

Both he and Toto were sitting in Scirocco's office in Heavens Base; an office that used to belong to Djibril. While the LOGOS leader had decorated the room with lavish things, the Titan Leader had removed all that and just placed a single painting of Jupiter above his desk.

"I agree; who will you be sending to pick her up?" asked the Vice Admiral.

"Sven is more than qualified to do the task; he is training a small team off of the Philippines," informed Scirocco.

"I'll send him his orders then," said Glemy as he stood up. Saluting the Titan Leader, the Vice Admiral left the office.

Scirocco looked up at the painting of Jupiter and smiled. Everything was going according to plan and another powerful Newtype would soon be apart of the Titans. With Via Yula Athha's powers added to their own, the Titans would soon prove to be unstoppable.

And then his dream for a Newtype Utopia would finally be realized.

Author's Note: I apologize for the long delay for this fic.

Originally, I was going to scrap this fic due to the lack of reviews. However, this has changed due to my only reviewer who has saved this fic. Hopefully more are to follow.

The next update should be out in a month and will feature a returning GSD character. Via will also grow close to this character.

Please R&R!


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